PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 26, 2023
Plans for a major renewable energy project that would connect Aroostook County to New England’s electric power grid are inching forward. Last week, legislators and Gov. Janet Mills signed off on a bill for construction of a high-voltage transmission line that would bring wind-generated electricity from northern Maine to the grid. The proposed King Pine wind farm, built by a power developer from Boston, would comprise 179 wind turbines, making it the largest onshore wind project east of the Mississippi River. The precise route of the corridor, its width and its potential environmental impact have not yet been made public. But the state’s approval is just the first step of what is expected to be a years-long process requiring permits from multiple regulatory agencies.